PK Education. Your Destination For Inspiration.
“I hate maths class”, “maths is too hard” – how many times have you heard your pupils say that to you?
Poor old maths gets a lot of stick. It’s not unusual to hear some pupils struggle to get excited about numbers and formulas the way others do. Not surprising given we are all so different.
But maths is not like it used to be there are so many cool resources out there to help kids engage with this subject and enjoy it so they can move past any maths anxiety they might be experiencing.
Here are some suggestions to help you get started.
1. Dear Diary…
Task your students to write or create a ‘Maths Diary’. To get them started provide the students with some sentence starters such as “I think maths is…” “The thing I like best about maths is…” “The thing or things that worry me about maths is…”. This opens up a dialogue about the problem and allows you to get to the root of the issue and address it.
2. Race against the clock!
Why not split your class into groups and challenge them to go head to head with one another in a maths quiz. Teams need to answer a series of maths questions against the clock. By doing it as a team activity those who feel less confident will have the support of their peers. This is great to improve the energy and mood of your online class and build confidence.
3. Maths Club or Maths Drop-In Session.
Set up a maths club or drop in session for your class that they can attend outside of lessons from home to support further learning or to address specific issues in. Each week you can set some additional reading and resources or even give them a video to watch.
Countdown presenter Rachel Riley covers maths topics such as prime numbers, factors, and mental maths and pupils can access this free here
You can then factor in a 15-minute group discussion at the start of your next lesson and encourage pupils to share their experiences.
4. . Piece of Cake!
Whilst we are in lockdown there are many ways you can bring maths to life around the home. For example, set your class homework to follow a recipe and bake a cake or get them involved with budgeting. There are some fantastic ideas over at BBC Teach
5. Fascination with Animation.
Technology plays a BIG part in teaching Maths and it’s a really good idea to include some fun animation and videos and even apps to keep things fresh and engaging and cater for different learning styles. For some alternative animated maths solving ideas check out TedEd.
